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“Thank you. I’m proud of this place. I didn’t actually build it from the ground up by myself. Owen helped, and some of the guys who work for us helped too.”
“So you’re an architect and you own half of Watson Construction?”
“Yup. I design whatever the client wants, and Owen builds it with our crew.”
“Well, it’s easy to see you’re good at what you do.” My eyes darted around the room. There weren’t a lot of pictures or decorations, but I liked the simplicity of it.
“I’m good at a lot of stuff.” His voice lowered as he entwined his fingers with mine on my lap. A fullness bloomed in my core.
“I’m sure you are. You fixed my car.”
“That was nothing.” He shifted closer to me, his eyes locked on mine. They traveled down to my lips, and I inadvertently licked them. Derek ran his thumb along my jawline, and I inhaled at his soft touch. “Tell me about yourself, Anna.”
I exhaled, feeling the muscles in my neck tighten.
Let the lies begin.
I didn’t want to lie to him, but how else was I to protect my identity? My parents always told me honesty was the best policy, that the truth always comes out and not to let it bite me in the ass later. I hadn’t listened to their wise words since I found out I was pregnant.
Derek smiled with an expectant gaze. Here I was with a wonderful man that I could possibly have a future with, and I was about to lie to him. My stomach churned.
“Well, I’m an only child. I love all things romance and I have a mega-size sweet tooth.” Starting with little truths about myself was easy.
“Romance and sweets, huh?” His eyes fell on my lips again. “What’s your favorite sweet treat?”
My cheeks heated. “Anything chocolate. And I have a thing for pie.”
“You have a thing for pie? I’m intrigued. What kind of pie?” His fingers squeezed mine a little and my heartbeat thumped wildly in my chest.
“Pretty much any kind of pie that doesn’t have coconut. I don’t like coconut.”
“Not true.” He cradled the side of my face as he pulled me closer and smelled my hair. “Mmm, coconut.”
Jesus, you’re turning me on.
As Derek slowly—painfully slowly—pulled back, he ran his nose along my cheek, and I melted into his touch. He stopped at the corner of my mouth, and I desperately wanted to feel his lips on mine. But he broke our connection to look at me.
“It’s not nice to tease me.”
He smirked. “Really? You’ve been teasing me since the moment I met you.”
“I have not.”
“Maybe you weren’t doing it intentionally, but, Anna, you stole my breath away the moment I saw you.”
Oh my God!
“I’m surprised because you were kind of rude to me and pretty much ignored me.” My eyes flitted down at our entwined fingers. Being here with him like this strangely felt intimate. Derek studied my face as if I were on full display. “You weren’t listening to anything being said at the table.”
“Let me assure you, I heard every word you said. I just couldn’t look at you.”
My eyes went wide. “Why not?”
That small curl in the corner of his mouth appeared. “Because the whole table would have seen I was captivated with you.”
My breathing deepened as this incredibly handsome man blew my mind with his honesty. I hated myself for lying to him.
“You’re a charmer.” I fluttered my eyelashes and didn’t try to hide my flirting. “Why haven’t you been taken off the market yet?”
